Various industries require precise and accurate measuring for a number of applications, such as production, manufacturing and process control. In many such applications measurement errors on the order of even one thousandth of an inch can be critical. Thus, it is important that the measuring equipment being used be stably supported. To provide such stable support, a stand or tripod is often used. Such stands or tripods are typically rather bulky and heavy to provide the rigidity necessary to support the measuring equipment. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a stand for measuring equipment that is light weight and/or less bulky than conventional stands.